re: About to start Zelda:BoTW, any tips?

Beat it for the first time last night. It's speaks really well for a game (especially an open world game) that I want to go play it again after just beating it. In most open world games I get slogged down and end up not picking them back up for a while (I still haven't finished Witcher 3, and I love that game).

Like someone said, it really rewards you for exploration. At the very least, you're liable to find a Korok in almost any location you go.

Also, I too didn't really like the weapon mechanic until I figured out how to sneak into Hyrule Castle and snatch some awesome weapons. From that point on I usually had too many to carry, and my choices were preference rather than necessity.

You can go kill Ganon at any time, but I definitely recommend getting all of the memories. They really flesh out the story and characters, especially Zelda.

Finally, Majora's mask is OP if you're dealing with monsters.